The world is a mysterious place. The can of mystery highlights some of those mysteries. This site is a class project for Amanda Warren's English 101 class at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
Articles are uploaded once a year (on average) in the fall and/or spring.
If you have questions or tips on mysteries, please leave a comment or contact AmandaW at USCA dot EDU.
Savannah was founded in 1733 and it is known as one of the most historic cities in the United States. Revolutionary and Civil Wars were fought here so it is no surprise they are called the most haunted city, which was called by the American Institute of Parapsychology, which investigated ghost claims. There are many people who have felt the spirit or even captured a spirit before via camera. Therefore, many people have become firm believers of so because of many told stories of experiences with ghost in their home or on a vacation.
Ghost
Conspiracy
In November 1864, General William T. Sherman began his famous "March to the Sea" during the Civil War. After capturing Atlanta, Georgia, Sherman's Union troops marched for weeks--destroying everything in their path until they reached Savannah. There Sherman set up an army hospital at The Marshall House and now a hotel. Many guests believe that dead former soldiers haunt the hospitals. “Two men claimed that when their elevator door opened, they didn't see a hotel anymore," says Emily Kiernan of Ghost Talk Ghost Walk tours. "They saw a Civil War operating room, with wounded soldiers and frantic doctors trying to save them." Others have reported feeling cold areas said to be a sign of ghosts or hearing knocks at their doors when no one was there.
Everything
Is Haunted in Savannah
Savannah's river port was an important stop for cotton, rice, and tobacco ships back in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sailors stayed at inns, and pirates often spent time together at The Pirates' House restaurant. A dark stairway led to secret underground tunnels, where crimes may have happened. People have spoken about how spirits of pirates still lurk in the restaurant. Workers have reported weird flashing lights and mysterious footsteps coming from upstairs, even though no one was there. Chef Harold Bryant even claims he saw a ghost walk right through a closed kitchen door. "He was dressed in a white ruffled shirt, with a sword at his waist and a gold ring in his nose," said Bryant. "Then he just disappeared upstairs." Mant stories have been told and proven by witnesses of the same events happening to them or even just experiencing weird chills.
Works Cited:
Buchholz, Rachel. “Ghosts of Savannah.” National
Geographic Kids, no. 354, Oct. 2005, p. 36. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=sch&AN=18386181&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
The Late Show
with Stephen Colbert “Nick Swardson: Everything In
Savannah Is Haunted.” YouTube, 26 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQNb__Ar7vQ
When
you hear “Men in Black,” you might think of Will Smith in the movie Men in
Black. Some think of the Men in Black as a “secret” government agency, but
most think of UFO’s (Unidentified Flying Objects.)Most people don’t even believe that Men in Black nor UFOs exist. The first
story that launched conspiracies about the Men in Black dates back to June 27,
1947, involving a man named Harold Dahl. Dahl was out gathering logs, when he
saw “six donut-shaped obstacles hovering” (Justin Sablich) overhim in
his boat. Sooner than later, one of the obstacles fell, scattering debris and
water, killing Dahls dog. The next morning after the ordeal, Dahl was visited
by a Man in Black who told Dahl not to speak of what he had witnessed, or else
bad things would happen. The mysterious man was able to tell him what exactly
had happened, frightening Dahl, which enticed him to tell others. He reached
out to a magazine editor, who then reached out to a pilot named Kenneth Arnold,
who had also experienced a UFO sighting. In July of 1947, “two Army A-2
Intelligence officers came to investigate.” (Sablich) The next day, when the
officers were leaving, their plane crashed, killing both of them. Was this just
a coincidence? Or did it have something to do with the Men in Black? Albert
K. Bender was the man who really kicked the Men in Black Conspiracy into full
gear. He was a ufologist and conducted multiple counts of paranormal research.
Because of his love for paranormal activity, he formed the International Flying
Saucer Bureau (IFSB). In November of 1952, Bender was at a local movie theatre
in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he noticed a “strange man with glowing eyes
observing him.” (Bielawa). Bender also noticed that there was an increasingly
worsening stench of burning sulfur filling his attic. In July of 1953, he was
paid a visit by three men in black suits. According to Bender, they communicated
telepathically with him, demanding him to stop all UFO work and research. In
October of 1953, the last issue from the IFSB Space Reviewwas
published, including a cryptic message and warning of those who are engaged in
“saucer work to be very cautious” (Bielawa). The IFSB was shut down by Bender,
obeying the Men in Black that had threatened him. Bender’s
story attracted a UFO Magazine Publisher, Gray Barker. According to multiple
sources, Barker was not considered the most factual reporter on UFO phenomena,
as he was a “gifted writer with a gentle, understated sense of humor”
(Radford). Barker wrote the book, “They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers" and included Bender's story inside. The book elaborated upon the Men in Black
and UFO conspiracy. For some it expanded their belief of the Men in Black
existence, and for some it was just a goofy, fictional, book. After this book
was released, more and more people started encountering the Men in Black.
So,
what could be a possible explanation behind the Men in Black? Are they really a
result of paranormal activity, or do they have nothing to do with aliens at
all? It has been reported that many people have experienced the Men in Black
when experiencing sleep paralysis. According to Spencer Heathcliff Peters, sleep paralysis “can be described as an inability to move or speak for several seconds after
waking up from sleep.” Some say that when they have seen a Man in Black, they
saw a black, shadowy figure. When some people experience sleep paralysis, they
have also reported seeing a black, shadowy figure. In the 1970s, a
survey was conducted by David F. Rudiak that studied the correlation between
Men in Black sightings and sleep paralysis. The study concluded that there was
no correlation between MIB sightings and sleep paralysis. Rudiak also found
that since there was a large amount of people that had never seen a UFO but had
an experience with Men in Black, most “alien abductions” are most likely sleep
paralysis episodes.
Other
resources suggest that the Men in Black aren’t, have never been, and never will
be real. According to Steve Rose, “the UFO community is a textbook case of a
gullible group susceptible to manipulation. Having spent too long watching the
skies and the X-Files, it's implied, they'll readily swallow whatever snippet
of "evidence" suits their grand theory.” Rose claims that movies and
documentaries about UFO/paranormal activity are clearly fictionalized and made
to feed into the imagination of ufologists. Rose states, “Rather than covering
up the existence of aliens, could it be that the real conspiracy has been
persuading us to believe in them?” Roses theory is that the Men in Black
phenomenon/paranormal activity is not real, but the government wants us to think
that they are. But why? Is there something that we don’t know that we should?
Are movies just a coverup of something that’s really out there? Or are we just
a bunch of paranoid weirdos? I guess we might not know until we see a UFO for
ourselves. Works Cited:
Bielawa,
Michael J., “Bridgeport’s UFO Legacy: Men in Black and the Albert K. Bender
Story” Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Library. https://bportlibrary.org/hc/authors/bridgeports-ufo-legacy-men-in-black-and-the-albert-k-bender-story/
Peters,
Heathcliff Spencer. “Men in Black: Shadow Figures and UFOs throughout History.”
Astral Citizens, Astral Citizens, 29 Sept. 2022, https://astralcitizens.com/men-in-black-shadow-figures-and-ufos-throughout-history/.
Rose,
Steve. “The real Men in Black, Hollywood and the great UFO cover-up”. The
Guardian, Guardian News & Media, 14 Aug. 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/14/men-in-black-ufo-sightings-mirage-makers-movie
Sablich,
Justin. “The UFO Sightings That Launched 'Men in Black' Mythology.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Aug. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/men-in-black-real-origins.
“Who
is the Hat Man? The Real-Life Nightmare Shared By Thousands.” AnomoAlien.com,
Photograph, 20 Aug. 2020https://anomalien.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hatman-s.jpg,
“List of reported UFO sightings” Wikipedia, MediaWiki, 7 Oct. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightings This source provides multiple alien sightings, including the time they were reported as well as where they were reported.
“Real Men in Black Sightings Caught on Camera.” Slapped Ham, 10 Apr. 2019, https://slappedham.com/real-men-in-black-sightings-caught-on-camera/. This source provides pictures of the Men in Black as well as strange personal experiences of those who have encountered the MIB
In the 1980’s there was a huge
moral scare called the” Satanic Panic” where everyone thought that devil
worshippers were hidden everywhere and in everything discretely trying to turn
children into demon lovers, do awful things with or to them. Published in 1980,
the book Michelle Remembers is typically given the credit for starting the panic because it linked satanic
rituals to the abuse of children, but there was never any evidence of abuse by
cults. False narratives created a foundation in the minds of Christians for the
inner workings of Satanism and that their children would be swayed by Satan.
People were ready for a full panic over the occult when James Dallas
Egbert “disappeared” from his dorm room at MSU in 1979, people
were convinced his mind was altered by the game Dungeons & Dragons that he
had a psychotic break and ran away under the school to role play a game until
he died. A detective stated James was “depressed” and went into the tunnels to commit suicide.
Dungeons and Dragons did not have anything to do with James’s disappearance or
death. But over the top Christians kept the idea that the game made him carry
out supernatural rituals.
The Satanic Panic made people live out in the world fearful. They did not
let their children do anything, Christians thought there were subliminal
messages in all things with Satan. Some even thought humans were eating
children as part of rituals. Parents did not like their kids watching certain
movies, shows and music. Particularly rock and roll. This music was especially open
to accusations of backmasking messages, in the 1980s, The Rolling Stones were
charged with hiding their support of the devil in their records. But it is not
really possible to write lyrics one way and it sound correct the other way. If
songs do have hidden messages, it is by accident.
With all the Satanists running around and committing ritual murders, it
was up to the police to stop them. The average devil worshipper is adept at
hiding in plain sight, a document called “Identification, Investigation, and Understanding of Ritualistic Criminal Activity,” helped the police keep an eye out for
Satanic activity in the Windy City. This provided
“insight” into symbolism used by and even provided characteristics that one
should look for while speaking to a potential Satanist.
Romano,
Aja. “The Satanic Panic Never Really Ended.” Vox, 31 March 2021. Satanic
Panic’s long history — and why it never really ended — explained - Vox The Vox is an online magazine, and this
article is written Aja Romano explaining the history of the Satanic Panic. The
purpose of this article is to inform the readers about the different cases of
the satanic panic and what it is. It also speaks about how heavy it was around
back then but people think it went away just because it is now shown in
different more modern ways. This source is unique because it goes through
historically different cases of the panic. This source is relevant because is
has modern issues of the satanic panic and lets us know that it us still around
today. As written in The Satanic Panic Never Really Ended written by Aja Romano
this article is aimed at people who are interested in the history of the
Satanic Panic.
Zadrozny, Brandy. “Satanic panic is making a
comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers” NBC News 14
September 2022 https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/satanic-panic-making-comeback-fueled-qanon-believers-gop-influencers-rcna38795 This website is a news channel that streams
on TV and writes news articles, this article is written by Brandy Zadrozny,
most of this article is based in Utah. The purpose of this source is to be
reliable and let us know how the satanic panic is not over. This article is
informing us about politicians that have to do with the panic, David Leavitt,
who had to deny and fight that he did not murder or cannibalize children. The
source is unique because this was written directly about one person, and he was
a politician. This source of the NBC is relevant because it was written only a
month ago, this is a good source because it is a popular subject with
conspiracy theories and politicians. As posted in NBC News this article is
aimed at people who believe in conspiracy theories and are interested in
learning about the satanic panic.
Men in Black isn’t just a movie it also a conspiracy theory. The conspiracy is about men who reach out to people that have encounters with UFOS or do a lot of research of UFOS. There are people that say that they have been contacted by these ‘Men in Black’ and they always have weird creepy encounters with them.
People who have had encounters with these men say that their features are different than a human. Some even think that the ‘Men in Black’ are aliens themselves because they have no hair, like eyebrows or even eyelashes. They wear black suits with black trench coats, and black shoes as well. Not only do they have different features than humans, but they also don’t go by names they go by numbers.
The first person to encounter the ‘Men in Black’, that is known of, is the encounter of Harold Dahl. Harold Dahl was one day picking up logs with his son and dog, while he was doing this, he saw six donut like shaped figures above his boat. One of the figures dropped and killed his dog, but luckily him and his kid were okay. Dahl couldn’t believe what he saw and took a picture of the object that just fell in front of him. The next morning Harold Dahl was contacted by a man in all black, the man told him to not talk about the incident again or something bad could happen. This isn’t the only encounter that people have had with the ‘Men in Black’ but this is the first one that is talked about.
Another person that has had an encounter with the man in black was Dan Aykroyd. His encounter was in New York, he was shooting a show and he stepped outside for a bit, while he was outide he saw a man that was wearing a black suit standing by a lack Ford sedan, whenever Aykroyd looked at something else and then looking back for the Ford Sedan it wasn’t there anymore. To make things a little bit creepy when he went back inside he was told that the show was over with.
Works Cited:
Gatollari, Mustafa. “Real Life ‘Men in Black’ Exist and These Creepy Stories Pretty Much Prove It.” Distractify. Nov. 8, 2018. https://www.distractify.com/omg/2017/05/31/Z1bT0sp/men-in- blackreal. Accessed Oct. 17, 2021.
Geers, Jacob. “9 Freaky Encounters with The Real ‘Men in Black’ That’ll Seriously Give You The Creeps” Thought Catalog. October 29, 2021. Accessed Oct. 20, 2021.
https://thoughtcatalog.com/jacob-geers/2016/04/creepy-stories-of-the-real-men-in-black/ “Not a movie, But A Reality: Men in Black Phenomenon.” Anomalien.com. November 10, 2019. Accessed Oct. 29, 2021. https://anomalien.com/not-a-movie-but-a-reality-men-in-black-phenomenon/
Sablich, Justin. “The UFO Sightings That Launched ‘Men in Black’ Mythology.” History. July 20, 2018. Accessed October 29, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/men-in-black-real-origins
Links for Further Research:
https://anomalien.com/men-in-black-they-visit-and-terrify-people-after-ufo-or-alien-sighting/If you want to know about more encounters people have had with men in black click this link.https://newsorb360.com/the-men-inblack/This link has just basic information about the MIB but helpful information.https://sites.psu.edu/emilyspassionblog/2018/10/03/how-real-are-the-men-in-black/This article will talk more about the Dahl encounter with the MIB and an encounter that happenedrecently.https://anomalien.com/men-in-black-they-visit-and-terrify-people-after-ufo-or-alien-sighting/ If you want to know about more encounters people have had with men in black click this link.
https://anomalien.com/men-in-black-they-visit-and-terrify-people-after-ufo-or-alien-sighting/If you want to know about more encounters people have had with men in black click this link.https://newsorb360.com/the-men-inblack/This link has just basic information about the MIB but helpful information.https://sites.psu.edu/emilyspassionblog/2018/10/03/how-real-are-the-men-in-black/This article will talk more about the Dahl encounter with the MIB and an encounter that happenedrecently.
The illuminati itself is a source of many great conspiracies. The illuminati was a secret society, first meeting in May of 1776, founded by Adam Weishaupt. Weinshaupt was a professor at a university; he was involved in a private group within a Catholic church. While he was a leader in the group, he found the best method to keep control was to keep secrets. Weinshaupt formed a secret society to manipulate the members. The people did anything to learn the secrets, whether they were real or fake. I believe this may have been the start of all the conspiracies formed throughout the years. The group's goals were to limit religious influence and power by the government on society. The group chose not to discuss or worship religion together as a symbol of freedom to each member. Many of the group's rules and virtues were based on the Enlightenment ideas of the time period.
As time went on, the illuminati began to slowly fall apart. Almost a decade after the first meeting, the Bavarian government shut down the secret society and banished Weishaupt to Gotha, Germany. There are many present-day organizations that claim the name “illuminati.” Although there is no evidence to link these groups to the illuminati, it is the only current connection we have to the illuminati. Originally the illuminati was never meant to be noticed, but when people found out they began to create ideas and conspiracies about what the illuminati really was.
Many common conspiracies are formed around the common symbol of the eye. The Eye of Providence is a symbol that has been the start of many conspiracies. The eye inside a triangle on the one-dollar bill is known to connect the European and US government and the passages of power (Hunt). The eye also shows up on some versions of the Bible; one example of this, as explained by John Hunt in “Secrets of the Illuminati: The Top- Secret Society With Plans to Rule the World,” the Catholic Bible was used by Joe Biden on Inauguration Day. Some people tend to think the swearing in of Biden means the illuminati is planning to overrun the governments by using such celebrities as Biden, Lady Gaga, and Eminem.
Over the years many facts about the illuminati have been proven true. There are also many unproven conspiracies and theories. Most people can agree it has become a discussion over what is facts or fiction. No matter what you believe about the illuminati, it is a fact that it once existed in some society in the past.
Works Cited:
Hunt, John. “Secrets of the Illuminati: The Top- Secret Society With Plans to Rule the World.” Trade Craft, 2021. https://spyscape.com/article/mysteries-of-the-illuminati-the- secret-rulers-of-the-world. Spence, Richard. “Adam Weishaupt, the Founder of the Illuminati, and His Ideal World.” The Great Courses Daily. Wondrium. 21 Aug. 2021. Web. 22 Oct. 2021. https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/adam-weishaupt-the-founder-of-the- illuminati-and-his-ideal-world/ Vickery, Matthew. “The Birthplace of the Illuminati.” BBC, 2021. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20171127-the-birthplace-of-the-illuminati.
Imagine you’re walking around with a loved one when they suddenly ask you to look up into the sky, there you see a skywriting of your name. You’re amazed but you’re also wondering how it was possible. While planes naturally release a trail of condensed water while at high altitudes, people rather believe that those trails are altering the temperature of the environment or poisoning the planet. While the government does have the means to make this happen, the process is actually quite natural and referred to as a contrail. The word chemtrail is directly related to the conspiracy. Chemtrail was actually a name given to the conspiracy by the government. Suzanne Maher believes that the term ‘conspiracy theory’ was created by the CIA to discredit those who question the government, so she never uses the term.(Bell) It all began in the 1990s when “investigative journalists” like William Thomas began describing purported plots by the government to inject poisons into the atmosphere via the exhaust trails of jet planes.(CSI) Nearly twenty years later and Chemtrails are still a hot topic. Global warming has increased which makes Chemtrails seem more and more realistic. We understand that we could treat the environment better, but with the drastic weather changes, people are looking for a more realistic cause.
Suzanne Maher on the right
“Chemtrails” have been described as either a means of carrying out biological warfare upon the citizenry of the United States or as a method of weather modification, perhaps related to mitigation of global warming. (CSI) Since the 1990s global warming has become a rising issue in America and we as a nation suffer from the effects every year. People who believe in chemtrails are apart of a massive mind control effect. It’s believed that lithium was sprayed 30,000 feet or so, in an attempt to control global warming, and still others say chemtrails are there to make the global warming “hoax” more convincing. Atmospheric scientists, environmental groups working on air quality issues, and engineers familiar with aircraft mechanics, since then have completely dismissed chemtrail notions.(Clarke) While as Americans we look for the shortcut to all of our situations, we also look for validation in our work. If someone had found a way to validate the idea of chemtrails it would’ve been proven by now. So far there is only one peer-reviewed paper on the topic and a study. Chemtrail advocates point out that persistent contrails are much more prevalent than they once were, which is true. That’s easily explained by dramatic increases in air traffic, as well as by changes in the fuel efficiency of jet engines leading to cooler exhaust, and increased water vapor in the atmosphere due to global warming(Clarke)
Links For Further Research:
“The 'Chemtrail Conspiracy'.” CSI, www.csicop.org/sb/show/chemtrail_conspiracy.
CSI gives their research and scientific response concerning Chemtrails.
Clarke, Chris. “Why Do People Believe in Chemtrails?” KCET, 25 May 2017, www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/why-do-people-believe-in-chemtrails.
KCET is a broadcast channel that covers a variety of national news. They cover chemtrails and the mindset of those who believe in Chemtrails. Their goal is to engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. They let readers experience the story from both the scientific and nonscientific sides of the story.
Bell, Chris. “Chemtrail' Conspiracy Theorists: The People Who Think Governments Control the Weather.” BBC News, 31 Jan. 2018, www.geoengineeringwatch.org/geoengineering-watch-global-alert-news-january-27-2018-129/.
BBC news is covering a protest about chemtrails. A group of people who conspire against the government naturally were in charge of the protest. Local activists were calling the protest ByeByeBlueSky
The 23 Enigma refers to the belief that most events and incidents are directly connected to the number 23. Robert Wilson cites William Burroughs as being the first person to believe in the 23 enigma. Burroughs had known a captain by the name of Clark, around 1960 in Tangier, he once bragged that he’d sailed for 23 years without an accident. That same day, Clark’s ship had gotten into an accident that killed him and everyone else on board. While Burroughs was thinking about this harsh example of the Gods. That same evening, a radio announced the crash of an airliner in Florida. The pilot was another captain Clark and the flight was 23.
William S Burroughs was a beat generation writer known for his startling, nontraditional accounts of drug culture. He was named after his grandfather, an inventor who was a pioneer in machine technology. Burroughs attended prep schools and later studied English literature at Harvard University, he graduated in 1936. At one point, he became financially unstable, and had other issues. So he went to London, got help and continued to be an innovator, after that, he put out a few more books. Soon after, he came across the 23 enigma.
Some examples of the 23 enigma include but are not limited to. In each human there are normally 23 pairs of chromosomes. 22 of these pairs look the same in both men and women. The 23rd pair is the sex chromosome and that is different for men and women. Women have two X chromosomes while men have one X and one Y chromosome. 2. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death 23 times by enemies in the Roman Senate. 3. Psalm 23 is the most famous and quoted of the Psalm. 4. One of the many conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks known as 9/11 is that the numbers involved in the date add up to be 23.
Works Cited:
Falsone, James. “The Number 23 Enigma.”
02 Feb 2007. Youtube. Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJW7heKTCTE.
